Red Riding Hood Of Konoha
by KitsuneMiyuKendraHyuga
Summary: AU Sakura is a medic of the city of Konoha, where the Uchiha are the most powerful family. One day, she has to visit an old patient who lives in the forest. But it can't go smoothly. It just can't.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was inspired by a magazine for children, "Il Giornalino", which published very nice ideas on how to re-tell fairytales the wrong way.

Note: The Uchiha clan is OOC here.

…

…

Sakura took her medical bag, walked out the door and locked it. She went hurriedly towards the centre of the village, where the hospital was. She was already a bit late for her shift.

When she arrived, the usually hectic hospital was relatively quiet. It seemed like she wouldn't be needed any time soon, so she went to her office and took her list of patients, which she had prepared the evening before, and went through it, making notes on each of them.

Sakura was the beautiful twenty-two-year-old, pink-haired, green-eyed, vice-head medic of the hospital of Konoha. It was the biggest village of the region, even if it was surrounded by thick forests. There were dangerous bandits living in the forests, but as long as you remained on the main roads, you had nothing to fear. The Police Department of Konoha, run by the powerful family Uchiha, made sure of that. They also made sure that there was safety inside the village. They were currently trying to create a special squad of agents to free the forests of the bandits.

Sakura had always lived in Konoha, except for a few months when she had accompanied her teacher on a medical trip to Suna, another nearby village. She had had nothing to fear, because Tsunade, her mentor and current head medic of Konoha, had insisted they took the busiest roads of the country. Besides, she had made sure Sakura was skilled in self-defence.

That had been a few years before. Now Sakura worked regularly at the hospital, since she was an exceptional medic, and sometimes hung out with her friends. She loved her job and took it very seriously, knowing that making a mistake would mean lose the patient's life.

That wasn't a problem. She was a precise person and was usually very punctual. However, that morning, she had felt… tense. The pink-haired woman hadn't known why, but she kept getting distracted and was therefore a little late. Her tension faded as soon as she arrived at her familiar office, and she relaxed a bit.

With her list in her hand, she started her morning routine visiting some of her patients, controlling their conditions. A few hours later, she had just finished when a nurse came looking for her in her office.

"Doctor Haruno, the head-medic needs to speak with you," the nurse said.

Sakura nodded. "I'll be there immediately. Is there an emergency?"

"No, she said there is a particular patient you need to visit," the nurse explained.

Sakura furrowed her brow. "Strange. Well, thank you, I'll be coming right away."

The nurse exited and Sakura, taking her inseparable medical bag, went towards Tsunade's office. She knocked on the door and went in.

Her blonde teacher had a bottle of sake and a few documents on her desk. She motioned for Sakura to sit down.

"Sakura, sorry for interrupting your work, but I need you to go visit a particular patient today. It's an old woman, called "Granny" by the few people who know her, who lives by herself in the eastern part of the forest. I usually go to her once a year and do a full physical examination, just to make sure she is healthy. As you have seen, today is relatively quiet here at the hospital, and we can afford to be without one medic. I'd like you to take my place and go visit the old Granny this year, because I have to perform that surgery on patient Lee today, which has been scheduled months ago," Tsunade said.

Sakura frowned. "Of course I'll do it Shishou, but couldn't it wait until tomorrow? Today I wanted to…"

"I know, Sakura," Tsunade sighed in exasperation. "You wanted to experiment with your poisons again. I know that you're good at it, well, actually, _very_ good at it, but it isn't priority. You should do that only when you don't have patients to visit. And since you have a patient to visit now…" Tsunade trailed off and grinned.

Sakura sighed. Fine. "Alright, Shishou, I'll go. Where exactly does she live?" she asked.

Tsunade explained that her house was in the middle of the forest, beyond the third eastern mountain, and the quickest way was a little path that went up the mountain, down the other side and arrived directly at the little cottage. She then gave her apprentice the old woman's file. "And Sakura," Tsunade added, "don't worry. You won't need the whole day. In a few hours you will be already back, and you have the rest of the day off. You can go back playing with your poisons to your heart's content."

Sakura smiled a little and went back to her office. She took her medical bag, her stethoscope, the Granny's file and a few light poisons to dull one's senses. She was going to cross the forest, after all, and self-defence or not, it was still a dangerous place. So, better safe than sorry. She then quickly ate some lunch she had packed that morning, brushed her teeth and went out.

It was early autumn and therefore she didn't need a jacket. The weather was sunny and the temperature was pleasant. The green-eyed doctor observed the village she loved, but again, like in the morning, she felt a little tense. She shrugged it off and continued towards the eastern part of Konoha.

Near the border of the village there were also the Police Headquarters. Sakura knew the place a bit, because one of her friends, Sasuke Uchiha, was the son of the Police Chief. Sasuke had been her friend for a long time. She used to have a crush on him when they were younger, but as soon as she realized she was embarrassing him (and annoying him as well), she had "recovered" and they had become friends. Not close friends, maybe, but he, together with Naruto, Ino and a few other guys, all of her age, were the only ones she sometimes hung out with. Not that she had much free time: she was a workaholic and lived alone. Her parents had died in a fire which had destroyed the western part of Konoha, where she had lived, eight years before. She had been devastated, but fortunately at that time she had just begun to learn medical skills with Tsunade, and therefore she had had her hard studies to keep her busy. She had overcome her loss after a while, and her cheerful and compassionate nature had emerged again. She had become famous over the last few years for her skills and her kind-hearted spirit.

Sakura cared a lot about her friends, even if she didn't spend a lot of time with them. Ino was the Gossip Queen, and it was fun to talk with her, or rather, to let her chatter for hours. Naruto had lost his parents when he was still little, therefore he had been really helpful when she had sometimes felt really down after the death of her own parents.

Sasuke had instead a few problems with his family. A large part of it was inside police force. Sakura often wondered if he would become a police officer as well. She knew he wasn't sure about it, mainly because of his brother. Itachi Uchiha, five years their senior, was the Uchiha prodigy. He was incredibly talented, skilled and clever, and he was soon to be the new Police Chief after his father. People respected him because he was just, fair and honourable. He took his job seriously and it was obvious that he liked it. Sasuke admired him greatly, but he also envied him a bit. He knew that if he joined the police force, he would be compared to his older brother. And Sakura knew he wouldn't accept that, because he was proud. All the Uchihas were a bit proud, Sakura mused. But she couldn't be sure, because she had never met Itachi, so she didn't know what he was like. However, even if he _had been_ a little _less_ proud, Sasuke didn't really like the job of a police officer. Therefore, he was still uncertain of what to do in his life.

While passing near the Police Headquarters, the pretty pink-haired medic shook her head. Sasuke was being a bit unfair towards his brother. It must have been difficult, she mused, to get where he was now, even if he was a genius. The Uchiha family was strict, they didn't allow anyone to receive a promotion if they weren't worthy of it. Being the son of the Police Chief wouldn't help. Meritocracy was valued, and Sakura thought it was fair. There were few women in police force, but those few were capable and reliable. They weren't the kind of women that slept their way up the ranks. Sakura was glad that the same rules applied to the hospital. She wasn't the vice-head medic because she was the head-medic's apprentice, but because she had earned it, with her hard work and her skills. The Uchiha family had been the first in Konoha to value true skill and sense of justice above anything else.

Sakura was so caught up in her thoughts about the Uchiha family, that she didn't notice that she had almost reached the forest. She shook her head again to clear her thoughts and proceeded to look for the little path. She found it and saw that it divided in two a few meters later. She was about to go left – that path would go up the mountain – when she heard a _crack_ followed by a _thud_ and a suffocated mild curse.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I just want to clarify a few things. We are in Konoha, but this is a AU. People are not ninja. However, it isn't a society like ours, because people are allowed to go around with stuff they use to defend themselves (Sakura carries poisons around, for example). And by the way, there is no Kage in Konoha. Konoha is a democracy, a city-state. People have the right to vote and are part of every decision. I believe the Kage system tends to be a bit like tyranny (does Danzo mean anything?); I'm sorry that Naruto can't fulfil his dream here.

…

…

Sakura turned to her right, where the sound had come from, and she saw a man, half-hidden by a tree, who seemed to have gotten hurt. Cautiously, her medic instincts kicking in, Sakura approached him. She saw the trademark black hair of the Uchiha family, and decided he couldn't be a bandit. Therefore she asked, "Um, excuse me, are you hurt?"

The man turned around, as if he already knew she was there, and curtly shook his head. "No, thank you. A branch fell off a tree and hit my arm, but it's nothing."

His voice was warm and deep, but Sakura couldn't immediately process what he had said, because her mind was shocked by his appearance. He was tall and he had long black hair tied in a low ponytail, dark onyx eyes and stress lines that marked his face. But most importantly, he was the most handsome man Sakura had ever seen. He was obviously an Uchiha, and it seemed he was just hiking. Something wasn't right in that, but Sakura didn't have time to think about it, because her brain right then decided to connect again and she registered the words "branch", "hit" and "arm".

Her generous nature coming back, she said, "May I see? I'm a medic, I'll just make sure it isn't anything serious."

The man observed her carefully for a few instants. Unbeknownst to Sakura, the Uchiha was taking in the beautiful woman in front of him. She _was_ beautiful, and seemed to be kind and compassionate as well. He said, "As you wish."

Sakura approached the man, still a bit careful, and then observed his arm. The Uchiha rolled up his sleeve and showed her his arm. Sakura couldn't help noticing that his whole body was muscular and fit. She shook those thoughts away and examined his arm.

After a minute or two she said, "It seems that the branch has sprained your wrist and has affected your elbow as well. You won't be able to fully use your left arm for a day or two. You should keep it as still as possible; if you agree I will bandage it, so it will stay still and you'll be able to continue to use it as usual."

Sakura didn't notice, but the man's eyes didn't leave her face for an instant as she spoke. She then looked up at him, a silent request in her eyes, and he nodded briefly. The medic took a bandage from her bag and wrapped it skilfully around his wrist and elbow. When she was satisfied, she pulled back.

"Thank you," the man said quietly. Sakura looked up again, surprised. His voice had been steady, but with an underlying emotion that seemed to be… _endearment_?

But the man didn't give her time to think it through, because he asked, "Were you going to the old Granny that lives in the forest?"

Feeling relatively safe in giving him such an information, Sakura nodded. "Yes, I have to visit her to examine her health."

"Then I'll have to advise you to not take the direct path to her house. Bandits were seen there the last few days. It's better if you take the path to the right, which goes around the mountain and is safer."

Sakura was a bit surprised, but nodded nonetheless. "Thank you, I will."

The man smiled a little, and it almost took Sakura's breath away. "No, it is me that should thank you for helping me. Have a good day." He took the path that went back to the village and disappeared a few moments later.

Sakura blinked. Then she shook her head and slowly went her way, making sure to take the path to the right. She thought again about the man, and realized she hadn't even asked for his name. To her, he remained a mysterious tall and handsome man, most probably an Uchiha.

Sakura decided to stop thinking about him. She was wasting her time. She knew the path around the mountain was longer; as expected it took her more than an hour, even if she walked quickly. At least it was safe and free from bandits, as the mysterious man had said. When she saw the old woman's house, she sighed in relief. She still had to visit her, walk home again and then she would finally be free to continue her work on poisons. And maybe, just maybe, to try to find out who the mysterious Uchiha was.

Mentally shaking herself, Sakura reached the small cottage and knocked on the door. A quiet voice answered, "Come in."

The medic opened the door and walked in. She noticed that everything was in the dark, because the windows were almost totally obscured by the shutters and she had already closed the door behind her. Blinking in the dark, Sakura cautiously approached the bed she had caught a glimpse of. She hesitantly asked, "Granny?"

A voice replied, "Yes? Who is it? I'm in bed because I feel a little tired today."

Sakura got nearer. "Hello, Granny, I'm Haruno Sakura from Konoha. I'm a medic sent by Tsunade-Shishou to visit you. Tsunade-Shishou has a surgery scheduled for today, so she sent me instead. May I visit you?"

The old woman, for what Sakura could see, seemed to nod. "Of course."

Sakura, after searching in the dark for a while, found a chair and sat down near the right side of the bed. She could still see very little. "Granny, would you mind if I opened a window? It's very dark in here."

The old woman replied, still in a very quiet voice, "I'd rather not, please. The light disturbs me."

So Sakura had no choice but to stay in the dark, literally. She took out her stethoscope and asked the old woman to bare her front and then her back. She was very careful since she could see very little, and listened to her heart. She couldn't help but exclaim, "What a powerful heart you have! Even athletes don't always have such a potent heartbeat! And what incredible lungs you have!"

The Granny said, "I try to keep myself healthy by eating fresh food, fruit and vegetables as often as possible, and I usually walk a lot."

Sakura was still amazed at the condition of the old woman. She then asked the Granny to bare her arm in order to take her pressure. Again, the medic was surprised. "Usually only young people have this perfect kind of pressure!"

The old woman replied, "I try to take good care of my health."

Sakura soon finished her visit. Even if she couldn't see much, she had found the condition of the old Granny surprisingly good, considering her age. Her file had simply stated that her conditions were fine, it said nothing about how _extremely_ fine she was. And Sakura was astonished by it. And she was convinced that something wasn't right. "You really seem to be young and full of life, Granny! You're practically screaming health!"

The old woman didn't answer, probably because she was busy re-dressing herself. However, the medic hadn't been able to do a full-body visit because of the dark, and she still was shocked by her fantastic health. So she asked the Granny to come to the hospital one of the next days. "Because," she explained, "I haven't been able to complete my examination, since it is so dark and you said you were too tired to get up. I'd like to thoroughly complete the visit."

The old woman didn't respond, but Sakura felt a sense of… _amusement_ emanating from her. Before either one could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

Both seemed to tense a little. Sakura stood up. The Granny sat a little more straight up and said quietly, "Come in."


	3. Chapter 3

…

…

The door opened and the light from outside brightened a bit the dark room. There were two men outside, each with a large basket, both blinking to see in the dark. They hesitantly stepped in, and Sakura, seeing the old woman motion for it, proceeded to close the door behind them.

The two men seemed a bit disoriented. Sakura, now a bit more accustomed to the dark, asked, "Who are you?"

They were still holding the baskets and seemed confused. The Granny said, "They're my… grandchildren, who have come to pay a visit to their Granny, haven't they?"

The two men nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course, we have. We brought you… some food…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. As far as she knew, and she knew what was written in her file, the old Granny didn't have any relatives. But there she was, claiming that those two men were her grandkids. Something was wrong. Sakura decided that it wasn't the right moment to voice her opinion on the matter; she just had to make sure to speak with Tsunade as soon as possible. So she turned around, collected her things and said, "Well, I'll see you soon at the hospital, Granny. Keep your amazing health as it is. I'm sure that your grandchildren have brought you fruit and vegetables…"

"Yes, yes," said one of the two men, both still with the baskets. He started to walk towards the bed. "We brought only the best for our dear…" He couldn't say anything more, because he tripped on the chair that Sakura had left near the bed and fell over.

By doing so, the basket dropped off his hands and fell on the floor. Its contents spread on the dark carpet.

Sakura gasped. Inside the basket there wasn't food, but money and jewels! There were earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, everything in gold, silver and some also with pearls!

Sakura wasn't stupid. It took her only a second to realize that all those things must have been stolen, and therefore she was in a small cottage with thieves. But she was in the forest around Konoha, infamously known for… the bandits.

She was in a house in the middle of the forest with the dangerous bandits. And she was alone.

Just her luck.

It took her just one moment to realize all that. The man who had fallen cursed aloud and stood up again, coming quickly towards her with a knife. But before he could reach her, the Granny jumped up from the bed. The "old woman" threw the bed covers away and grabbed the bandit, pulling him away from Sakura. He was disarmed, wrestled to the floor and the "Granny" made sure he stayed there by securing his hands behind his back with a rope.

The other man had lost a few seconds because he had to put down his basket. As soon as he straightened up, his partner, securely held on the floor, screamed, "Do something, moron! Shoot!"

The other bandit, who was still free, took out a gun and started to point it towards the "Granny", whose eyes seemed to be getting… _red_. But before the bandit could only even think of adjusting his aim, Sakura stormed on him. With a swift kick to his ribs, she made him fall on the floor. She then sat on him with her small form and injected her light poison in his arm. The gun had fallen on the bed.

There was a second of silence. Then the "Granny", having tied up the first bandit, stood up and took her old clothes off. Sakura couldn't see clearly what was happening because it was still too dark, but she could see that the "Granny" was someone else who had obviously just dropped his or her disguise. She didn't know if he or she was on the good side, but since he or she hadn't been the one with a knife or a gun, she had unconsciously tried to help. Still, she could have been mistaken. Just to be sure, Sakura searched for her other vials of poison, making sure they were ready to be used.

The "old woman" then went to the windows and opened them. Sakura was momentarily blinded by the sudden light and covered her eyes. She then felt a hand gently taking hers and helping her stand up. She pulled back, unsure of what to expect, but the hand wouldn't let her. Sakura opened her eyes, wary, only to be met by the onyx ones of the man she had met earlier that day.

She blinked. What? _He_ was the 'Granny'? But… wait… what… why… All rational thoughts seemed to abandon her, and it clearly showed in her exclamation. "What _the hell_ is going on?!"

The man in front of her smiled a little. "Hello to you too, miss Haruno."

She just stared at him. She didn't understand what had happened and why, but she had calmed down enough to be coherent again. Since he didn't seem hostile, she proceeded to ask, "Who are you? Why were you disguised as the Granny? Why are the bandits here? And, oh God, were is the real Granny?"

The man looked at her intently. Then he went to the wardrobe and opened it. Inside, tied up and with a blindfold, there was an old woman. Sakura exclaimed, "Why is she tied up? Shouldn't she be…"

The mysterious man interrupted her. "She's the bandits' chief."

Sakura's eyes widened. The man continued, "We suspected she was helping the bandits because every lead we followed seemed to bring us to this cottage. We found definitive proof a few days ago that showed that the Granny was, in fact, the bandits' boss. We knew that today her accomplices would bring the stolen goods here, so we set a trap for them. I came and made sure the Granny couldn't harm anything anymore and waited for her accomplices. Unfortunately," and the man looked directly at Sakura, "you weren't a part of the plan. I tried to keep you away from here for the longest I could…"

"By telling me to take the longer path," Sakura realized.

The man nodded. "But you arrived too quickly. The other bandits hadn't shown up yet, so I had no choice but to wait and hope they wouldn't come while you were here. I'm sorry you were involved in this."

Everything was becoming a bit more clearer in Sakura's mind. The man calmly walked around her and went to the second bandit on the floor, tying him up as well. He observed his semi-unconscious state for a while. "Did you use some form of poison on him?"

Sakura was still a bit confused. "Huh? Oh, yes, just a light poison to dull his senses, nothing dangerous, it will last only an hour or so. But I'd like to ask…"

She couldn't finish her sentence for there was another knock on the door. This time neither of them could do anything before the door was yanked open and some police officers stormed inside the house. A few of them got the two bandits and the Granny. A tall man with the trademark black hair and dark eyes of the Uchiha family walked towards Sakura and the mysterious man.

"So, Itachi, it seems it has worked out, hasn't it? I hope," he said then, turning to Sakura, "that you weren't involved, miss."

The mysterious man answered for her, "Unfortunately, she was. But thankfully so, because otherwise I would probably have been shot."

Sakura turned around abruptly, to face the "mysterious" man. "Your name is Itachi? As in Itachi Uchiha?"

The man, apparently Itachi Uchiha, smiled at her. "I hope it doesn't concern you, miss Haruno."

Sakura then smiled. The first real smile since Itachi had seen her, and he was enchanted. She didn't notice. She was thinking about the whole thing: the police force had prepared a secret plan in order to apprehend the bandits, and she had been involuntarily caught right in the middle of it. She had found herself between a knife and a gun, and together with the bandits. But, luckily – and strangely –, everything had ended up well. And she had even finally been able to meet the famous Itachi Uchiha, who just happened to have saved her from the knife-armed bandit.


	4. Chapter 4

…

…

She waited until the other police officer, apparently named Shisui, finished talking to Itachi and went to take care of the bandits, and then she told the Uchiha, "Thank you for saving me from the bandit with a knife, Mr Uchiha. I'm sorry for having been in the middle of your police operation, but you know it wasn't voluntarily."

Itachi observed her intently and smiled again, taking her breath away. "No, miss Haruno, it is me who has to thank you. First for treating me earlier when I got hurt, and now for blocking the bandit with a gun."

Sakura waved it off, blushing a bit. "I didn't do anything special, Mr Uchiha," she muttered.

She then smiled again. If this was Itachi Uchiha, he didn't seem arrogant. Sasuke would never have admitted it if he had received help from someone else, especially a female.

Itachi then, to her great surprise, added, "My name is Itachi, miss Haruno, so please drop the 'Mr Uchiha'."

She blinked, and then said, "Only if you call me Sakura… Itachi."

The man smiled more brightly, stealing her breath once again. "Of course… Sakura."

Sakura blushed a little bit, smiled, and looked around her. The police officers were taking the bandits away, and one of them was still in his dream world. The real Granny instead was awake and without blindfold. She looked grumpy and angry, and the police officers were about to take her away. Suddenly Sakura remembered her duty.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, and the police officers turned towards her with questioning glances. "I still have to visit the Granny. That's why I came here, and I better do it now, before she is brought to jail."

The police officers were uncertain of what to do. They looked between the officer named Shisui and Itachi; the first glanced at the second, who nodded. The police officers cuffed the Granny's hands and then gave her to the conscientious medic. She made the old woman sit on her bed and began her examination, asking the men – since there were only male police officers – to keep their eyes respectfully away.

As she expected, the Granny was well, but not in the extraordinary way that seemed before. And Sakura blushed a bit, thinking that she had examined Itachi Uchiha disguised as an old woman and she had complimented him on his perfect health. She felt the eyes of that same man following her movements and she couldn't help blushing a bit more. _Get a grip_, she told herself firmly. _You are a medic and you have a job to do_.

After finishing her examination, Sakura wrote everything down in her file and told the officers they could take the Granny now. The pink-haired medic packed her belongings and looked at the time. She sighed. It was already late afternoon, she had spent a lot of time there and she would need a long time to walk back home. She probably wouldn't have time to work on her poisons.

Sakura felt tired. She had done her job as a medic and was happy about that, but all her precious time had gone down the drain because of it. She had also wanted to go shopping for food because there wasn't much left at home, only barely enough for her breakfast the next day. But she wouldn't be able to do it. By the time she would reach Konoha, it would already be dark and the shops would be closed. She sighed again.

Unbeknownst to her, Itachi had been watching her while all those thoughts were reflected on her face. He went near her and asked, making her jump, "Sakura, would you like to come to dine with my family? And don't worry about going back to Konoha. The police helicopters have arrived, we will gladly bring you home."

Sakura was so surprised that she couldn't answer immediately. Then she said, "I… well, I thank you very much for this offer, Itachi, but I can't impose so much on you…"

Itachi interrupted her, gently but firmly. "You wouldn't be imposing at all. It's the least I can do for all you have done for me. Besides, tonight my mother invited me to a family dinner, she's cooking and she usually cooks enough for an army. I'd be… pleased if you would come."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She didn't want to intrude on the Uchiha family. She knew that Sasuke's brother lived alone in a house of his own. "Itachi, you're very kind but I can't…"

"Yes you can. Please, Sakura. It would be a favour you're doing for me, and not the other way round."

Sakura was still hesitating. Sure, he was kind and the offer was tempting, but…

Shisui came back into the Granny's house. "Are you ready to go, Itachi, miss?"

Itachi nodded and gently took Sakura's hand. She had no choice but follow him. Besides, it was a nice sensation, feeling his warm hand around her smaller one.

They went out the house and took the path that went up the mountain. It was getting dark outside, and Sakura had to admit that she was glad that she didn't have to walk home by herself through the forest.

They headed towards a little clearing on top of the mountain, where they could see two helicopters waiting. While they were slowly walking towards there, Sakura realized that Itachi had yet to let go of her hand. She was afraid of trying to free her hand: what if he took it badly? So she decided to let their hands intertwined; besides, it felt nice. _Very_ nice.

They walked in silence for a while. Then Itachi let Shisui go forward and stayed a bit behind with Sakura. When they were out of earshot, he whispered, "I am really impressed by you, Sakura. Even if she was arrested and about to be brought to jail, you still insisted on doing your job and visiting the Granny. That was really… unexpected."

The open admiration in his eyes, as well as the warmth in them, made the pretty medic blush profusely. "I was only doing my job, Itachi. Every medic would have done the same…"

Itachi shook his head. "No, Sakura, not every medic would have done the same. And speaking of medical examinations, I was wondering…" he smirked, and his eyes danced with mischief, capturing Sakura's gaze, "…are you still willing to thoroughly complete the visit on me?"

Sakura blushed like mad. Oh God, the implications of that sentence when used in a different context! However, turning back into a gentleman, Itachi didn't press the matter further and began walking again towards the helicopters.

The police had come with three helicopters. A big one with the two bandits had left while Sakura and Itachi were still in the house; another, which was still big, was starting at that moment, and there were the Granny and the other officers on it. Only a little one remained, and Sakura knew that she was going to be alone with Itachi on it, since everyone else had already climbed in the bigger one.

Itachi didn't let go of her hand until they were seated inside. He started the engine and prepared to fly. He noticed that Sakura was eyeing the fuel indicator. "Don't worry, we have enough to return to Konoha," he reassured her.

Then he noticed the way she expertly manoeuvred herself in the tiny cockpit. "You know about helicopters?"

She nodded. "When Tsunade-Shishou gave me a month free, I learned how to fly a helicopter in an acceptable way. It's really cool."

Itachi smiled at her. "Would you like to take over the controls?"

She shook her head. "Thank you, but it's best if you take them. I haven't flown for a few years and I really don't want to crash with your police helicopter."

Itachi smirked and then they took off to Konoha. The fly was quick and quiet and they landed on the roof of the Police Headquarters. As they climbed out Itachi grabbed Sakura's hand again, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't disappear. So she followed him through the headquarters, which were almost empty, since it was getting late. The headquarters were never completely empty, because someone was always at work there and they had to be ready at any time; but right now they weren't as busy as they were during the day. The medic was getting curious glances by the few other police officers who saw her together with the famous Uchiha prodigy. However, she didn't think much about it. Itachi had to sign a few documents and then he left a few other officers in charge of the interrogations, which started immediately. Sakura wondered why he didn't question the bandits himself; but then she overheard other agents speaking about how hard Uchiha Itachi had worked those last few weeks in order to successfully complete the 'bandits-capture-operation'. So it was only fair that, since he had done the most stressing part of the job, he would hand over the rest to his subordinates.

Sakura felt guilty. He was probably very tired and looking forward to a meal and some sleep, but she was still hanging around and probably annoying him as well. She tried to go home, but then she noticed that he still hadn't let go of her hand. It should have been unsettling for her, instead she felt… good. Safe. And if he was the one that wouldn't let her go… then she couldn't be such a burden to him, right?

Eventually, Itachi fulfilled his duties at the Police Headquarters and headed towards the exit. And Sakura followed. Not that she had much of a choice, anyway.

Outside, the air was getting a little chilly. The green-eyed medic trembled slightly since she didn't have a jacket. But she was surprised when a warm and large scarf was put around her shoulders by tender hands. She turned around to see Itachi, with an unreadable expression on his face. He himself was wearing a dark jacket over his clothes.

"Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed, and she fidgeted with her medical bag.

"My pleasure," he replied. "My mother forgot this scarf here the last time she came to the headquarters. She will be glad that we're bringing it back to her."

Sakura was a bit agitated. "But if it's your mother's, I shouldn't…"

Itachi silenced her by putting a finger on her mouth. "Don't worry, Sakura. My mother will be happy that it has been useful. And don't concern yourself about dinner tonight, Sakura. It's just my father, my mother and my brother, with whom I believe you're acquainted."

"But Itachi, that's the problem: it's a _family_ dinner! I do not wish to intrude. And I know you must be tired, and having me around surely isn't your idea of a peaceful evening."

Itachi put a finger under her chin and gently forced her to look him straight in the eye. "Sakura, I wouldn't have invited you if I thought you were intruding. I would love to have you over to dinner. And my mother is always happy to have guests when she's cooking."

And Sakura couldn't answer back, not when he was looking at her like that. He took her hand again – she was beginning to get used to it – and started walking towards his family's house, which wasn't particularly far.

When they arrived, he didn't knock on the main door, but instead went around the house to the kitchen door. He knocked lightly and then went in, taking Sakura with him.

Inside the kitchen there was a black-haired woman who was cutting vegetables. She turned around when she heard the door opening and smiled.

"Welcome home, Itachi," she said warmly, and then looked at Sakura with kind eyes.

"Good evening, Mother. I have invited Sakura to dinner, if you don't mind," Itachi said, allowing his mother to kiss him on the cheek.

The woman smiled again. "But of course, I'm happy to have you here with us. I'm Uchiha Mikoto, pleased to meet you. Please call me Mikoto."

Sakura smiled at the kind Uchiha woman. "I'm happy to meet you, Mikoto. I'm Haruno Sakura, and I thank you so much for letting me stay to dinner. And for you scarf, too," she said, almost apologetically, reaching to take the scarf from her shoulders but finding that Itachi had been quicker and was helping her with it.

Mikoto didn't miss this. Her smile got bigger. "Oh, you don't need to thank me, Sakura, I sometimes forget my clothes at the Police Headquarters. Thank you for returning it to me. And, pardon me if I ask, but… Are you Doctor Haruno the vice-head medic of Konoha?"

Sakura blushed a little. "Yes, I am," she admitted.

Mikoto seemed to begin radiating happiness. "But that's wonderful! You are so skilled and talented, and we all greatly admire you! Sasuke has told us so much about you…"

Sakura was now blushing madly. She didn't dare meet Itachi's gaze. So she tried to change the subject. "Mikoto, may I help with the cooking? Since I'm intruding on a family dinner, at least let me help you with it."

Mikoto shook her head. "I've already done everything, thank you. And you're not intruding at all. If you insist, however, you could help me set the table. Usually it's Itachi who helps me do that, but you can do it together this time, right?"

"Of course," Sakura said, relieved, missing the little hint Mikoto was giving them.

Itachi quietly showed her where the dishes were, and they began to set the table for five people. When they were done, Mikoto called for Sasuke and Fugaku, her husband. Sasuke came down the stairs a bit grumpily, and almost tripped on the last step when he saw the pink-haired woman sitting at the dinner table with his mother and brother. He then recomposed himself, greeted Sakura quickly and took his seat.

From another room near the kitchen came a dark-haired man, the current Police Chief, Uchiha Fugaku. He was a bit surprised to see an unknown young woman sitting at his dinner table between his wife and eldest son, but a quick glance at both of them told him they were happy about her presence, so he didn't feel like arguing with them.

He sat down quietly and observed the woman across the table. She had pink hair and large, emerald-green eyes. She was very pretty. He cleared his throat and asked, "So, would you please introduce me to our guest, Itachi?"

Itachi calmly explained, "This is Haruno Sakura, Father. I invited her to dinner because she saved my life today, and because her company is… pleasant."

Mikoto stilled her movements. Itachi had risked his life and Sakura had saved him? Even Sasuke seemed interested. Fugaku narrowed his eyes. He was surprised. "The vice-head medic of Konoha? And she saved your life, you say?"

"Yes," Itachi calmly continued. "I was about to get shot but she stopped the bandit with a swift kick and a light poison she had created herself."

Sakura blinked. How did Itachi know she had created the poison herself? She was so perplexed that she didn't notice the impressed look Fugaku was giving her, nor the adoring one she got from Mikoto, nor the smirk from Sasuke.

Itachi explained what had happened that day while Mikoto served dinner. After he finished his story, Mikoto gave Sakura a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Sakura, for saving my son's life."

Sakura's cheeks got a little red. "He saved mine, and besides, it was nothing…"

"Yes, thank you, Sakura," Fugaku approved. "It was a very noble gesture from you. And you are Doctor Tsunade's apprentice, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Tsunade-Shishou is my mentor."

"And you work at the hospital?" Fugaku asked.

"Yes, I'm usually quite busy there."

"Since you created that poison, does it mean you specialize in that field?" Mikoto asked.

"Well," Sakura answered, a bit nervous, "I always found poisons and antidotes very interesting. All the ones Shishou gave me were fascinating, and I studied them carefully. Beside the fact that creating antidotes saves lives, creating a specific kind of poison with particular aims in mind is just as satisfying. And I don't specialize in a specific medic field, I like to keep learning in all of them."

The look Itachi gave her was full of meaning. Mikoto, Fugaku and even Sasuke could see that Itachi was growing extremely fond of the pink-haired medic.

They continued dinner speaking about light matters until the topic of the conversation landed on Itachi's promotion.

Fugaku said, "Today's operation was successful and very useful, Itachi. Capturing the bandits' chief and two of her closest operatives is an important step. The remaining bandits will either leave or take some time to reorganize. Purifying the forests of them should be easy enough now. And perhaps it is time for me to step aside and let you take my place."

Itachi stayed calm. "I want you to be very sure of your decision, Father. Furthermore, if I have to take your place, I have some conditions about the little free time I will be allowed to have." And his eyes darted so quickly towards Sakura that only Mikoto noticed.

"Nonsense. I _am_ sure of my decision, Itachi, and I know that there is no one who deserves to be Police Chief more than you. Free time can be discussed later. The most important matters are already settled. The things you have done, the people you have saved and the crimes you solved are incredible. I will be proud to leave my seat to a worthy man like you."

Sakura was full of admiration and, strangely, pride. She was proud of Itachi. And it reflected in her eyes and in the way she looked at him. Mikoto, Fugaku and even Sasuke, like earlier, could see that Sakura, too, was growing extremely fond of Itachi.

After changing the subject yet again and getting once dangerously close to Sasuke's future life, they began to speak about more light-hearted things. The whole Uchiha family was smitten with the intelligent medic and her personality. Even reserved Fugaku had to admit to himself that Itachi had valid reasons to like that young woman. Mikoto absolutely loved her. If she had caught Itachi's attention, she had to be special. She was sure of it, because she had never seen her son interested in a woman, _any_ woman, before. Sasuke had noticed how well his brother and the petite medic were getting along, but he decided it didn't concern him. As long as they didn't end up kissing in front of him, he was fine with it.

When dinner was almost to end, when they had already eaten the cake, Sakura had helped clean the table and Mikoto had served coffee – which only she and Fugaku took –, Mikoto decided to make things progress further. But she made a mistake. Her intentions were kind, but she didn't know about Sakura's past. So, sipping her coffee, she asked, "We would like to have you here to dinner with us more often, Sakura. Bring your parents next time, I'm looking forward to meet them."

Sakura went rigid, and Itachi eyed her with concern. He suspected that there was something regarding her parents that she didn't like to speak about, because she had never mentioned having to tell someone she was going to be late or anything. But he didn't know the truth.

Sakura tried to answer with a normal voice, but it came out a bit raspy anyway. "I– I would love to, Mikoto, but… I can't. My parents passed away in the fire of Konoha eight years ago."

She lowered her head and tried to control the tears. _Come on, Sakura, it happened a long time ago, you can't cry now_, she tried to reason with herself. Furthermore, she knew Mikoto's question was kindly meant, and she didn't want to make her feel guilty by showing how affected she was by it. She forced herself to get a grip on her feelings and tried to smile, failing miserably. The death of her parents was still a very sore subject for her.

She could see that Mikoto looked crestfallen.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry… Please forgive me, I didn't mean to…"

Sakura tried to smile again, managing to do it this time, albeit only a little. "Don't worry, I know your words were kindly meant. And I only have to blame myself for my reaction, because it happened a long time ago."

Mikoto still looked devastated, and the air was now filled with tension. Sasuke wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know what to say. Finally Sakura couldn't stand it anymore: she knew she would start to cry if she stayed any longer.

So she abruptly got up, thanked everyone for dinner and their company and said she was going home. Itachi said he was going home as well; he offered to walk her home first, and wouldn't take no as an answer. So she accepted.

Before they could go, however, Mikoto managed to speak briefly to her, alone.

"Sakura, I'm really sorry for my thoughtlessness," she said to the young medic. "However, I mean what I said. We would love to have you with us more often. Please remember that you are always welcome here."

"Thank you," Sakura said honestly, "I'm… touched." And she was. She knew it wasn't Mikoto's fault if she had become sad thinking about her parents.

Before they left, Mikoto insisted that Sakura took her scarf again. She silenced her protests saying that she had no immediate use for it and since it was chilly, Sakura as a medic should know better than anyone the dangers of getting outside without something warm. The young woman couldn't reply to that and, knowing that Mikoto was still trying to apologize and seeing the honest concern in her eyes, she accepted. However, she didn't suspect that Mikoto had meant the gesture kindly, but also as an excuse to make her come back again to the Uchiha household.

Walking home, Itachi didn't reach for her hand, and she felt empty without it, especially now that she was feeling down. Acting on impulse, she grabbed his hand almost shyly, and was relieved when, after the initial surprise, he intertwined their fingers. She felt a lot better.

Since he didn't know where she lived, she was taking the lead. She knew she had to keep her thoughts away from her parents or she would burst into tears right in front of Itachi. But she couldn't help herself. She thought about the night when her parents had been reported dead by the police officers, and her deep sorrow, always pushed back and locked away, resurfaced again.

Sakura hadn't even realized she was crying when Itachi abruptly stopped and touched her face with his hand, the one who wasn't intertwined with hers.

"You're crying," he stated simply, while his hand delicately caressed her wet cheek.

It was like a dam collapsed inside Sakura. The tears flew out, unrestrained and unstoppable. She let all her love for her parents flow together with her tears, and her loss felt more terrible than anything else. She felt two strong arms encircle her body and lean her against a muscular chest, where she continued crying.

Sakura cried for a long time. She didn't know how long. But at some point she realized she was soiling Itachi's sweater and she abruptly tried to pull away. However, the strong arms that were around her wouldn't let her go far. She was still leaning against him, and he was softly caressing her body. Sakura tried to recollect herself.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to lose control like this…" she apologized, without daring look up at him. At least she wasn't wearing any make-up, or she would have stained his clothes.

Itachi embraced her more tightly. "It's okay, Sakura," he murmured soothingly, and began caressing her face. He then gave her a tissue, and she thanked him while drying her face. She then looked at his sweater guiltily.

"I'm sorry about your sweater…"

Itachi shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Now, let's take you home."

She began walking again, towards her apartment, and in a few minutes she had recovered. She managed to _almost_ smile when they saw a little kid chasing his older sister in a garden along the main street.

By the time they reached her apartment, she was smiling again and leaning against Itachi's shoulder.

Sakura turned around to take her leave from Itachi and thank him. But the words died in her throat as she saw the serious expression in his eyes.

Itachi stroked her cheek tenderly, and locked his gaze with hers. "Sakura," ha said quietly, "feelings are what makes us human, so don't feel ashamed of them. Ever."

He leaned forward. Sakura widened her eyes as his lips touched hers. He touched her lips once, twice, and then stayed there. His tongue started to gently lick her own lips, and she gasped slightly in surprise. This gave him access, which he gladly accepted. His tongue slipped inside her mouth and he kissed her tenderly. Sakura encircled him with her arms and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened, and Itachi began to show her how much passion he had for her by making the kiss bolder. Sakura began to moan against him.

After a long while, they broke apart for air. But a second later they were kissing again, this time more heatedly and more comfortable in each others arms. They were lost in their world and remained there until they needed air again.

This time, when they broke apart, their brows were still touching and they were still in each others arms.

Sakura murmured, "Let's stop," and Itachi quietly nodded, giving her a short, chaste kiss on the lips. They began to disentangle from their embrace, and soon were standing one in front of the other, observing each other.

Itachi's hand caressed her cheek briefly. "I just found you, Sakura… and I do not wish to lose you. I would like to spend more time with you, and get to know you better."

Sakura nodded. "Me too," and she smiled, really smiled at him, and he was tempted to kiss her again, and maybe not stop this time.

Instead he returned her smile and turned around to go. She hesitated a second, and then reached for him, stopped him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Itachi," she murmured shyly.

Itachi touched his cheek, almost entranced by the feeling of her mouth there. He gave her a full smile, showing his dimples that no one had seen in years. "Sleep well, dearest Sakura," he whispered.

Then he turned around and walked home. Sakura watched him go until he disappeared, and then entered her house.

She went to sleep with a soft smile on her lips.

…

THE END

…

…

…

A/N:

I know there are things I didn't explain, like Itachi's red eyes, and various other things.

Some details I have to explain:

I know that usually in English we say the surname first and then the last name, but I like the Japanese way of saying the last name first, especially when the characters have Japanese names.

The part where Sakura reveals she can pilot a helicopter isn't meant to have much sense. I just wanted to show that she doesn't have to blindly trust Itachi. She could manage on her own, too.

Before you jump at my throat for making Sakura a bit dense while she was visiting the "Granny", not realizing that it wasn't an old woman but a young man, let me explain. The room was dark, Sakura is a respectful person and didn't want to intrude on the old woman's privacy (besides, a very close person to me is a doctor, and he/she told me that what I wrote could actually be realistic). And don't forget, Sakura asked her to come to the hospital to visit her better, because she was aware she hadn't actually done a _thorough_ visit.

Thank you so much, really, for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.

KitsuneMiyuKendraHyuga

…

**PS: there is a sequel to this, it's called "What Will Be".**


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